The present invention relates to an indicator light for an appliance. The indicator light is particularly useful for a cooking appliance, but can also be used for other home appliances such as dishwashers, washers, dryers and microwave ovens.
It is common in the industry to provide an indicator light on cooking appliances that is illuminated during operation of any of the cooking elements. This is done, for example, by placing a light source such as a light emitting diode on the front or top of the appliance. This light source is then interconnected to each of the control elements so that activation of any of the surface cooking elements also activates this light. Another approach is that of backlighting the control knobs so an indication is provided as to which of the elements is active.
Placing an indicator light on the front of the appliance is not considered to provide an aesthetically pleasing design. Additionally, a light placed in the front or top of the appliance cannot always be seen from all angles. This is frequently important because a consumer may move about the kitchen. Additionally, it is common for more than one person to be in the kitchen. It is therefore important to have an indicator that is generally visible throughout the kitchen. While the backlighting of the control knobs provides a more aesthetically pleasing indication, it suffers from the inability to be seen from all angles. These approaches, while adequate, do not provide a complete solution to the need.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an indicator light for an appliance that is easily visible from many angles.
A further object of the invention is to provide an indicator light for an appliance that is aesthetically pleasing.